Stravinsky's Petrushka

Igor Stravinsky opted for completely new solutions — such as using two or more keys simultaneously — and there is nothing better to evoke the portrait of Petrushka, both puppet and human, or the milling life on the market square, where the sounds of accordions, merchants and carousels all blend into one.

The ballet, which is from 1911, and was revised in 1947, has become a milestone in the Russian ballet tradition. Stravinsky’s genius lay in using two keys simultaneously in order to demonstrate the doubleness of Petrushka as both puppet and human, and, not least, in the innovative and imaginative writing for orchestra as shown throughout the work. It doesn’t take much to clearly envision the plot or the surroundings, even when listening to the pure concert version.